


give her coffee and she’ll go away

by takemehome21



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gilmore Girls Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, bellamy is just surly, though they're barely enemies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24500098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takemehome21/pseuds/takemehome21
Summary: Clarke laughs and grabs the cup from him, fingers brushing against his for the briefest of seconds.She taps the lid on her cup and then stands up, pulling a dollar from her purse to give to him.“Don’t worry about it,” Bellamy says, pushing the bill back to her.“I’m telling you I’m going to be coming in here often now. You won’t be able to afford giving me coffee for free,” she says and takes the dollar pack. “Plus, it might make me think you’re starting to like me.”“I wouldn’t go that far. Your kid is cool but the jury’s still out on you,” he replies.“Ass,” she mumbles.“Addict,” he says.And she can’t help the smile that takes over her face when she walks out the door.-a bellarke gilmore girls au
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 197





	give her coffee and she’ll go away

**Author's Note:**

> i've been writing this for like two years and it's depressing how long it's taken me to finish.
> 
> so bellamy is luke (with a little jess sprinkled in) and clarke is lorelai.
> 
> i haven't read this over to edit it so please forgive any mistakes.
> 
> don't know if anybody still reads bellarke fic but if you do, i hope you enjoy this!
> 
> (also, if you're able, donate to blm!!!!)

The first time she goes into Bellamy’s diner it’s because she’s in serious need of some caffeine and Raven told her this was the best place in town. 

The bell over the door chimes when she walks in and heads straight for the crowded counter. 

“Listen, my kid has been up with a fever _all_ night and she finally fell asleep and I desperately need like three cups of coffee and there’s _no coffee_ left at the inn,” she rambles. 

“ _Listen_ _princess_ ,” Bellamy says just as the bell dings for order up. “It’s swamped in here, as you can see. So I can’t just drop everything to get you a cup of coffee. Either wait five minutes or go to McIntyre’s and be annoying there.” 

Clarke trails after him, peering around his shoulder as he hands people their food. 

“When’s your birthday?” 

Bellamy huffs and pushes past her to go back to the counter. He stacks up empty plates and very obviously ignores her. 

“C’mon, just humour me,” Clarke says, squeezing in between customers at the counter. 

She rests her elbows on the counter and leans closer to him. 

He resists for a moment longer and then finally tells her. 

“A-ha!” Clarke shouts and grabs the newspaper from the man beside her. “Don’t worry, I’ll give it back.” 

She finds the page she’s looking for and rips out his horoscope. Stealing the pen from the man she just took the newspaper from, she writes something under his sign. 

Bellamy takes the piece of paper from her when she offers it to him and eyes her skeptically. 

“‘You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she’ll go away,’” he reads. 

Clarke thinks she sees his mouth quirk up a bit but she can’t be sure. She counts it as a win though because he turns away and pours her a to-go cup of coffee. 

“How much do I owe you?” She asks when he slides it over to her. 

“First order is always on the house.” 

“I should’ve gotten something expensive then,” she replies and now she’s certain he’s almost smiling at her. 

She lingers for a moment, hand hot from where she’s holding the coffee. 

“Don’t you have a sick kid to get back to?” Bellamy asks. 

“Right,” she says and takes a sip of her coffee, burning her tongue in the process. “Damn, that’s good.” 

Bellamy grunts in response, apparently not one for compliments and watches her as she goes to leave. 

Just as she reaches the door she turns back around and smiles at him. 

“Hold on to that horoscope. It might bring you luck someday, you never know,” she says. 

“Don’t count on it,” he responds. 

And then she’s gone. 

* * *

She doesn’t go back to Bellamy’s until almost two years later. 

Between working crazy hours, moving into an actual house and taking care of her kid she hasn’t had much time for bickering with surly diner owners. 

But she’s forced to go back there when she realizes she’s out of coffee, _again_. 

Madi is out with a friend so Clarke is free to head out and grab a coffee from Bellamy’s before going to the market to get more for the house. 

The diner looks empty as Clarke crosses the street but when she gets to the door she recognizes a familiar head of messy brown hair attached to a body wearing clothes that look just like what Madi put on this morning. 

And then she notices Bellamy standing across from her daughter’s doppelganger and smiling while dealing out a deck of cards. 

Now she knows she’s in some alternate reality. 

Bellamy Blake smiling at a child and playing card games with said child? Not realistic. 

She has only spoken to him one time but based on that interaction and what she hears about him around town this is definitely out of the ordinary. 

Both heads turn to look at her when the bell chimes over the door. 

“Clarke, hey!” Madi says and jumps off the stool to come hug her. “Bellamy was just teaching me how to play poker.” 

“You’re teaching my kid how to gamble?” Clarke says, looking at Bellamy. 

He huffs for a second, mouth moving but no words coming out. 

“We’re using cookies as the chips but I keep eating them,” Madi says before laughing. 

Clarke can’t help but smile at that and ruffle Madi’s hair. She walks them over to the counter and sits down in front of Bellamy. 

“It wasn’t anything serious,” Bellamy says, collecting the cards. “And I made her eat a salad since it seems like she’s never seen lettuce in her life.” 

Clarke scoffs and says, “I’ll have you know she’s seen lettuce _plenty_ of times. It’s the stuff we pick off our burgers.” 

Bellamy looks unimpressed so she turns to Madi who’s just stuffed another cookie in her mouth. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming here?” 

“Well –” Madi starts with her mouth full. 

“Chew and swallow first,” Clarke tells her. 

After she finishes the cookie she starts again, “Well this felt like my own thing. Bellamy is my friend and I didn’t want to upset you because I like a grown up other than you.” 

“Sweetie, you don’t have to keep things from me because you think I might get upset. You can tell me anything, okay?” 

Madi nods and leans in to hug her again. 

“Thanks, Clarke. Can I go over to the market and see if they got in the pens I like?” 

“Of course,” Clarke says. “I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.” 

She hops off her stool and shouts a goodbye at Bellamy who’s gone into the kitchen during their conversation. 

“See you,” Bellamy says, coming back out from hiding. 

They both watch her run out the door and down the street to the market. 

When Clarke turns back to Bellamy, he has a fond smile on his face that immediately vanishes when he sees her watching him. 

“Thanks for entertaining her,” Clarke tells him. 

“It’s no problem. She’s a good kid.” 

He gets a rag out from under the counter and starts to wipe up the crumbs Madi left. 

“I’m not much for socializing so she doesn’t hang with many adults, it’s nice for her to be around you. You seem to be good with her.” 

“I have a younger sister,” Bellamy says. “I basically raised her so I have relevant experience.” 

Clarke nods, storing away the information for later. 

They lapse into silence for a minute and Clarke has forgotten why she even came here in the first place. And then a customer comes in and orders coffee and a slice of pie and it all comes back to her. 

“Can I have a coffee to go?” She asks once he’s taken care of the other customer. 

“Again with the coffee,” he says with a shake of his head. 

“Hey,” Clarke protests. “That was one time.” 

He just gives her a look like he’s known her and her caffeine addiction for years. 

“But yes, I have a slight obsession with coffee. You should just get used to it. It’ll make these interactions so much easier,” she says. 

“Oh, you’re going to be coming here more often?” He asks, weirdly surprised. 

“Well, now I’m rethinking it. The service here kind of sucks.” 

Bellamy rolls his eyes and pours her a cup of coffee. 

“Like I care,” he says, eyes darting to the other customer sitting by the door. “It’s just been a while since you last came in here.” 

“What you’re saying is I made a lasting impression on you.” 

He rolls his eyes at that and holds out the cup for her to take. 

“Madi’s probably managed to con Jaha out of his entire stock by now with those puppy dog eyes.” 

Clarke laughs and grabs the cup from him, fingers brushing against his for the briefest of seconds. 

“Yeah, right,” she says. 

She taps the lid on her cup and then stands up, pulling a dollar from her purse to give to him. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Bellamy says, pushing the bill back to her. 

“I’m telling you I’m going to be coming in here often now. You won’t be able to afford giving me coffee for free,” she says and takes the dollar pack. “Plus, it might make me think you’re starting to like me.” 

“I wouldn’t go that far. Your kid is cool but the jury’s still out on you,” he replies. 

“Ass,” she mumbles. 

“Addict,” he says. 

And she can’t help the smile that takes over her face when she walks out the door. 

* * *

“You were right about the amazing coffee, but you didn’t tell me about the surly attitude,” Clarke tells Raven while she moves around the kitchen. 

“It’s part of the charm,” Raven says. 

She puts a plate of fresh from the oven cinnamon rolls in front of Clarke that would be irresistible even to someone with more self-control than her. Despite the sweets being for the guests, Clarke swipes one for herself. 

With a mouthful, Clarke says, “Madi seems to like him.” 

“Guess that means you’re stuck with him,” Raven tells her. “Once that kid imprints on someone there’s no going back.” 

Clarke taps against the table for a moment before leaning back against the counter. 

“Raven,” Clarke says. 

“Yes, dear?” Raven replies. 

“Do you think I’m doing a good job with Madi?” 

Raven whips towards her, knife barely staying in her hand and gives Clarke a confused look. 

“What are you talking about?” 

Clarke sighs, pushes away the cinnamon roll and says, “I mean, I provide her all the necessities but am I doing good with the non-essential stuff? She’s latched on to Bellamy so quickly, I think that means something.” 

“Like what?” 

“Like she wants that _male connection_ ,” Clarke manages to say without gagging. “I hate it because not every kid needs a mother and a father but maybe Madi does want that.” 

Raven hands the knife to one of the line cooks, having him take over and walks over to Clarke. 

“Babe,” she says, grabbing Clarke’s hand. “You’ve given her everything she needs. Her befriending Bellamy doesn’t mean you’ve deprived her of something, it just means that she’s an amazing kid who can make friends with even the surliest of people.” 

Clarke raps her knuckles against the counter and nods her head. 

“Promise me you’re not going to dwell on this,” Raven says. 

“I promise,” Clarke replies. 

“At least act like you mean it.” 

“Fine,” Clarke says and smiles at her. “I promise.” 

Raven squeezes her hand and then the door swings open and Miller clears his throat. 

“I hate to break up the lovefest but some of us actually do our jobs around here,” he says. 

Raven rolls her eyes and walks away from them to get back to work. 

“What do you need Miller?” Clarke asks, turning to face him. 

Miller sighs and says, “Insufferable customers are asking to speak with you. Something about pillows or slippers or something.” 

“As always, you’re such a big help,” Clarke says. 

“I live to serve,” he says with a sarcastic grin and then walks out the door. 

* * *

Going to Bellamy’s becomes a permanent fixture in their lives. 

It’s not just because of the coffee and food, making Bellamy squirm is an added perk for Clarke. And even after months of doing it she still gets as much amusement out of it as she did the first time. 

“Bellamy dear, we would love some refreshments,” Clarke calls out as soon as they walk through the door. 

“Keep your pants on,” Bellamy says, not even looking up at her. 

“Just for that you’re not getting any tonight,” Clarke says and pulls Madi to the open stools at the counter. 

She hears the slam of his hand on a table to their right and Madi nudges her. 

“You’re terrible, I hope you know that,” she says. “Now we’re never going to get served.” 

“He’ll get to us, don’t worry. You’re too cute to ignore,” Clarke replies and pinches Madi’s cheek. 

Madi swats her hand away just as Bellamy comes around the counter to them. 

“Sweetie,” Clarke coos at Bellamy. 

“Bane of my existence,” he shoots back. “What do you want? Order fast.” 

“Cheeseburger!” Madi shouts. 

“With fries,” Clarke continues. 

“And onion rings.” 

Bellamy stares at them, mouth open and eyebrows furrowed. 

“Not fast enough?” Clarke asks with a self-satisfied smile. 

“You’re insufferable,” Bellamy says. “And your eating habits terrify me.” 

With a shake of his head, he moves away from them. 

“Bring us apple pie too!” 

Bellamy doesn’t even bother looking back at them and Clarke can’t help but laugh. It hits her in that moment, watching him shake his head as he walks away, that she’s glad she has this place, has him. Her life since getting Madi has been stuck in a routine. And she’s not ungrateful – she’s got a great job and a great kid – but she always feels like she’s missing out. So even though she and Bellamy have a sort of antagonistic friendship, his diner has been a sanctuary. 

“Hey,” Madi says and nudges her. 

Clarke hums and drags her eyes away from Bellamy. 

“Where’d you go?” 

“Just thinking. You don’t mind that we come here so often, right?” 

“Of course not. I love it.” 

“I was not expecting that.” 

“Bellamy’s really nice,” Madi says. “Especially when you’re not here.” 

“Wow, the sass on you is incredible,” Clarke says at Madi’s smirk. 

Madi just shrugs and Clarke shakes her head. 

They make easy conversation about what Madi learned at school that day and the new dessert that Raven thought up at the inn. 

Bellamy comes by to drop off their food and barely keeps the scowl off his face. Before he can go Madi grabs his arm over the counter. 

“Wait,” she says. “I want to show you something.” 

Bellamy’s eyes shift to Clarke but she just shrugs, completely unaware of what’s going on. 

Madi let’s go of Bellamy’s arm to reach into her backpack that’s on the seat beside her. She pulls out a book which isn’t surprising for Madi but then she shows it to Bellamy with a huge grin on her face. 

“I found the book you were telling me about. With all the fairy tales,” she says. 

His eyebrows shoot up and he takes the book from Madi. Clarke watches as runs his thumb over the gold lettering on the cover, a small smile playing at his lips. Now she’s wondering just how much time Madi spends here without her. 

“Where’d you get this?” 

“Clarke found this really cool used bookstore in Sanctum and we went last weekend,” Madi says. 

She’s practically bouncing in her seat with excitement and Clarke weirdly feels like she’s intruding on something so she turns back to her plate, popping an onion ring in her mouth. She feels Bellamy’s gaze on her as he hands the book back to Madi who then puts it on the stool beside her. 

Bellamy scoffs as the door opens and Clarke looks at him. 

He nods at something behind her and says, “Rich people.” 

Clarke turns around and sees an obviously rich couple looking around the diner with disdain written all over their faces. 

“Why do they even bother coming in here? It’s not like this looks like some five-star restaurant from the outside,” he pauses and looks back at her. “I get tourists like this at least six times a week. They come in, with fancy clothes squint at the menu in disgust and then end up ordering an iced tea and a salad they don’t eat. Then they don’t even leave a tip.” 

He’s shaking his head and Clarke swallows past the lump in her throat. She knows people like that, was raised by people like that, used to be a person like before she went off to university and left that life behind. She lets out a breath and Bellamy eyes her warily. 

“Are you okay?” 

Clarke just nods, unable to make eye contact with him. 

“Seriously, Clarke. Is everything alright?” 

“She comes from a rich family,” Madi cuts in. “Lots of guilt still mixed in there.” 

Bellamy blinks at her for a moment. 

“Oh, uh – that’s interesting,” he says awkwardly. 

Clarke moves around a couple of fries on her plate and nods. 

“Yeah, let’s just forget about this,” she says. 

Bellamy nods and walks away from them. 

* * *

Clarke has been working crazy hours for two weeks straight. 

A seemingly endless revolving door of events at the inn meant she was there practically sun up to sun down, only managing to get home for a few hours of sleep every night. So, when she pulls up to the house after the hours she’s been keeping she’s pretty sure she’s imagining Bellamy standing on her porch. 

She parks her car and gets out, eyebrows furrowed as she looks for any sign she’s hallucinating and/or dreaming. But she can’t find one and Bellamy is _still_ standing there so this must be reality. 

“Hey,” she calls out as she walks closer. “What are you doing here?” 

Bellamy’s head whips around so fast she’s honestly concerned he might have hurt himself. 

“Clarke, hey. I was just looking for you. Uh, or Madi,” he says quickly. 

He comes down the steps just as she makes it there and he looks her over. 

“I can come back if this isn’t a good time.” 

“Wow,” Clarke says. “I look that bad?” 

His eyes widen and he scrambles to say something. It might be the sleep deprivation talking but the first thought she has is, _he’s adorable_. She shakes her head to get that out of there. 

“No, Clarke. Not at all. You always look great – I mean, yeah,” he lets out on a breath. “You just seem tired.” 

“Fifteen-hour days will do that to you.” 

Bellamy nods awkwardly and Clarke notices that his hands are holding something behind his back. He catches her gaze and brings his hands to his front. 

_Madi’s book_ , she thinks as she sees what he’s holding. 

“Yeah, it probably fell out of her bag the last time you guys were at the diner,” he says, and she must have said that last thought out loud. 

“She’s probably been going insane looking for that, thanks for bringing it by.” 

He holds the book out and it takes her a few seconds to realize that she’s supposed to take it. She shoves it in her purse before looking back at the house to see if there are any signs of Madi in there. 

“I was going to give it to you the next time you came into the diner, but you haven’t shown up in a while,” Bellamy says, crossing his arms over his chest. “I hope what I said last time didn’t offend you or anything.” 

“What you said last time?” 

She’s having a hard time following the conversation, but he looks so concerned that she makes the effort. 

“About uh, rich people. I didn’t know that about you and while I don’t really take back what I said because it’s true, I’m sorry that I was so harsh.” 

“Oh, no,” she laughs. “Totally not offended. I’ve just been working a lot and by the time I get home it’s too late for anything to be open in Arkadia, especially your diner. Aren’t you in bed at like nine?” 

Bellamy scoffs at the last part but smiles anyway. 

“Yeah, whatever. You wish you were in bed at nine.” 

“Actually, I do. I feel like I’m sleepwalking at this point,” Clarke says. 

“Oh,” Bellamy says and rubs the back of his neck. “I’ll get out of your hair then.” 

If it were any other day Clarke would’ve put on her hospitality hat but all she can think about is putting on her pyjamas and crawling into bed. 

“I’ll see you later, right?” She asks. 

He nods, walking past her to leave. 

“By the way, I like the bread situation you got going on,” she calls out to him. 

He turns slightly and scratches at his jaw. 

“Thanks. I just keep forgetting to shave but I might keep it.” 

“You should,” she says then turns and heads inside before she further embarrasses herself. 

* * *

Without her realizing, months go by and Clarke settles into a new routine. Said routine involves being at Bellamy’s every day, sometimes twice a day if she’s extra lazy and doesn’t want to pick up the phone and order a pizza. 

And even if he doesn’t say it or doesn’t show it, Clarke knows that Bellamy is glad they always come around. 

She’s ranting to him one evening after Madi has gone back home to do her schoolwork and she’s surprised he’s still listening. She’s on a roll, going for almost twenty minutes about the inn alone. But she knows he’s really listening because when she mentions Miller he straightens. 

“Wait, you work at the Independence Inn?” 

“Yeah,” she says, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. 

She thought he knew this. She talks about work all the time. 

“With Miller?” 

“Yeah,” she repeats, still having no idea where he’s going with this. 

“ _Nathan_ Miller?” 

“Oh my god, Bellamy, what are you trying to get at?” 

“I just had no clue that you worked there with him,” he says, posture relaxing a tiny bit. 

“That’s surprising. We live in a small town Bellamy, everyone is supposed to know everything about everyone. You’re really slacking on upholding that stereotype.” 

He rolls his eyes at her and she smirks at him. This is how their interactions usually go. She likes having a routine. 

“Are you guys friends?” 

“Me and Miller?” She laughs at that. “We tolerate each other at best. Though there is a mutual respect there for the whole spitting out the silver spoon thing we both did.” 

Bellamy nods, silent for a moment and Clarke thinks that they’ve moved past it. She takes a sip of her coffee just as he gets started again. 

“Has he said anything about me?” 

“Why? Do you have a crush on him?” 

“Yeah,” Bellamy says, leaning in closer to whisper. “I want you to ask him if he likes me.” 

For a second she believes it and she doesn’t like the way it makes her feel. So Bellamy likes someone? Good for him. He probably needs to get laid, maybe it would make his demeanour less frosty. 

“No, I don’t have a crush on Miller. He’s too good for me anyway,” he says. 

“Really? I’d say you’re too good for him.” 

“Hmm,” he says and ducks his head before moving past the compliment. “But seriously. He’s one of my closest friends. He doesn’t talk about me or the things I’ve said about –” 

He trails off but Clarke gets the gist and it makes her tense up. 

“About me?” 

Bellamy hesitates, eyes shifting away from her and fingers drumming on the counter. But he nods and she gets it. 

“You talk about me with Miller?” 

“I _might_ have complained about you when you first came in here and for a while after that,” he tells her. 

“I didn’t come back to the diner for like two years after the first time. How did you have enough material to talk about for two years off one interaction?” 

“Well it’s not like you didn’t exist anymore,” he says with a scoff and pushes himself away from the counter to cross his arms over his chest. “I would see you around at town meetings and the market.” 

Clarke just stares at him, not really believing they’re having this conversation. 

“Whatever, I don’t talk shit about you to him anymore.” 

“Just to other people,” she fires back. 

“No, I don’t do it at all,” he says earnestly and she believes him. 

Neither of them says anything for a minute and Clarke takes a big gulp of her coffee just to do something. 

An order is called from the kitchen and Bellamy raps his knuckles against the counter twice before turning away from her. Clarke watches him as he moves from behind the counter to serve his customers. It’s odd that she spends so much time here but doesn’t know that much about him. Like who he’s friends with and what he does with his evenings once he closes the diner. 

He comes back to her and tops up her coffee without her having to ask him to. 

And instead of going off and helping other customers, he stays behind the counter right where she is. 

She watches him for a minute and he catches her staring. 

“What?” 

“I want know more about you. Tell me something about yourself,” Clarke says. 

Bellamy just shrugs his shoulders. 

“There’s not much to know,” he says. 

“C’mon! Dig a little deeper,” Clarke says. 

“Well,” he says. “There is something I haven’t told you.” 

Clarke claps her hands and leans her elbows on the counter, propping her head up in her hands. 

“We haven’t known each other for all that long and we didn’t always get along but lately I’ve been – uh, I’ve started to realize that –” 

Just then the bell above the door chimes and cuts Bellamy off. 

Clarke turns to see who it is, thinking maybe Madi came by to get a sugar fix after finishing her homework. 

But it’s not Madi. 

Cillian, her one-night stand from the week before, is standing at the door looking around the diner. 

“Shit,” Clarke says and turns back to the counter, trying to hide her face with her hair. 

“What?” 

Bellamy looks between her and Cillian a few times before Clarke sees him start to put the pieces together. 

“I had a date with that guy last week. I thought it was just casual and I’d never see him again,” she says. “And now he’s here.” 

“Right,” Bellamy says. “Best laid plans, huh?” 

His eyes shift behind her again before he turns around to fiddle with the to-go cups stacked beside the coffee maker. 

She’s confused by his reaction – or lack of one – when she feels someone come up to the counter beside her. 

“Clarke?” 

Her head turns and of course, it’s Cillian with a big smile like he’s actually happy to see her. This is definitely not what’s supposed to happen with one-night stands and is precisely the reason why she hooked up with someone from Sanctum, not someone from Arkadia. 

“Hey!” 

The fakeness in her voice makes her cringe internally. 

“You talked so much about your town I just had to check it out for myself,” he tells her. 

Before she can respond Bellamy turns around and says, “Can I help you?” 

Clarke’s eyebrows furrow at the tone of his voice. 

“Yes, actually! One coffee with a little bit of milk to go, please,” Cillian responds. “Clarke told me that you make the best coffee.” 

Bellamy scoffs and turns to fill a cup. 

Once Cillian pays, he places a hand on Clarke's shoulder and says goodbye. She catches Bellamy’s gaze lingering where Cillian is touching her before he turns away to go into the kitchen. 

Cillian leaves the diner and then she’s alone. 

Bellamy doesn’t come back and it's been 10 minutes so she finishes her coffee and leaves. 

* * *

It takes a while for their relationship to go back to normal. 

After Cillian’s surprise appearance at the diner, Clarke and Bellamy are a little off. 

He doesn’t talk to her as much when she’s sitting at the counter. Not that he was particularly chatty before but he would always hang around and listen to her ramblings. Instead of that, he’s spending more time in the kitchen and tending to other customers. 

Clarke doesn’t exactly understand why he’s being so weird but she’s not going to let his change in attitude stop her from coming around. 

So, she’s at the diner every day like usual mostly for the coffee and the donuts and if she annoys him into talking to her again well that’s just a bonus. 

It eventually works out that way and he starts to spend time with her again, rolling his eyes at her ridiculous stories about Raven or smiles whenever she brings up Madi. 

After a couple of months, they’re actually friends. 

They don’t just see each other at the diner anymore. She can call him up for help if the inn needs a minor repair and he asks for her advice about dealing with his sister and it’s finally a real friendship. 

Clarke usually knows where he is and even though he’s not at the diner every hour of every day, he hadn’t told her anything about taking the night off. 

So, when she goes in after a particularly dreadful town meeting where Kane spouted nonsense for an hour, she’s ready to complain to Bellamy about it. 

Expect he’s not there. 

One of his employees is out and about taking people’s orders and bringing them their food. 

Clarke’s confused but takes a seat at one of the empty tables before ordering a coffee and a slice of pie. Okay, _two_ slices. 

It’s weird for her to be here and not be talking to someone. 

Madi’s at home finishing her homework and Bellamy is still nowhere to be found, even after she’s finished both her pieces of pie. 

She pays at the counter and walks out of the diner. She’ll just see him tomorrow. 

Just one step out of the door and she walks right into someone. 

“Bellamy,” she says after she’s straightened out and realized it’s him. 

“Hey,” he responds. 

As he goes to tuck a stray curl behind his ear Clarke realizes that he’s wearing a white button-down shirt and dress pants instead of his usual flannel and jeans. 

He turns to her and it’s only then that she realizes he’s wearing a button-down shirt and dress pants instead of his usual flannel and jeans. 

"Did you eat?” 

“You’re not even in the diner yet, you don’t have to be in customer service mode all the time,” she replies. 

“Habit,” he says with a shrug. 

They stand there in silence for a moment and Clarke realizes he’s not just going to tell her where he was or what he was doing. 

“So, hot date?” She jokes. 

“Well, I wouldn’t say it was _hot_. We just went out for dinner, nothing more.” 

Clarke’s a little surprised to say the least. She didn’t actually think that’s where he was tonight. 

“Oh,” she says. “How was it?” 

He’s about to answer but then his phone starts to ring in his pocket. 

“It’s her,” he says turning the screen towards Clarke. 

_Her_ is Echo, someone from town that they both know and Clarke’s got a weird feeling in her stomach. 

“Wow, calling immediately after a date. You must have really charmed her.” 

"Shut up,” he tells her before sliding his thumb across the screen to answer. 

Clarke can’t hear what’s going on at the other end of the line but Bellamy suddenly turns away from her and tugs on his collar. 

“Yeah, I’m already home. Just getting ready to close the diner,” he says into the phone. 

Clarke’s eyebrows furrow at his lie and she watches him fumble his way through the rest of the conversation. 

He turns back around and gives her an awkward smile. 

“That was an interesting conversation,” Clarke says. 

“I’d say it was run of the mill.” 

“Why did you say you were already home?” 

“Well, I am. I’m just not inside.” 

“You could’ve told her you were outside talking to me. She knows who I am,” she says. 

Bellamy pauses for a moment and sighs. 

“I might have mentioned you one too many times tonight,” he says. 

“What do you mean?” 

“She ordered a side of fries and finished them in like five minutes which reminded me of you. So, I talked about that time you got three plates of fries along with a full meal. Then she ordered two cups of coffee so I mentioned you again,” he explains. 

“Bellamy,” Clarke sighs. 

She’s absolutely reeling right now. What is going on? 

“I know, I know,” he says. “I noticed that she didn’t have the best reaction to me talking about you.” 

Clarke puts her hands over her face and before she can say anything, Bellamy continues. 

“In my defence, I was nervous. First dates are terribly stressful.” 

She nods and then the diner’s door opens. They both step out of the way, smiling at the couple who walks out. 

Clarke is still a little unsettled by Bellamy talking about her on his date and she needs to step away or else she’s not sure she’s going to breathe again. 

“I have to get back to Madi,” she says. 

“Right, of course,” Bellamy says. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“Definitely.” 

Then she practically runs away from him. 

* * *

“So, how’s it been going with Echo?” 

Clarke has been wondering for _weeks_ but she realized that it wasn’t going to come up naturally. So, she’d just have to talk about it no matter how awkward it was. 

She doesn’t really want to hear all the details about his relationship, she’s trying to be a good friend. 

Friends ask about these things and are supportive and don’t get this terrible feeling in her stomach when she thinks about them. 

But she’s not jealous. 

Bellamy lets out a sigh as he runs a rag over the counter. 

“It’s going – well, it’s okay.” 

“Just okay?” 

He nods but doesn’t respond right away. 

“I’m actually planning to break up with her this week. My heart hasn't been in it,” he explains. 

That surprises Clarke. She hasn’t seen them together but she’s heard around town that they’ve been out a lot. 

“Where exactly is your heart then?” 

“Well, funny you should ask. For a while now I’ve been –” 

Her phone buzzes on the counter then with a call from Madi. 

“Take it outside, Clarke,” he says right when she grabs it to answer the call. 

“But my coffee is going to get cold,” she says, pouting at him. 

“Like that’s ever stopped you from drinking it.” 

Clarke’s eyes narrow at him. 

“You know, I think it’s unfair that this little rule of yours doesn’t apply to you,” she says. “I’ve called you before and we’ve talked while you were in the diner.” 

“It’s my business, I can do whatever the hell I want,” he says with a smirk. “You’re going to miss the call if you don’t hurry.” 

“You’re insufferable,” Clarke retorts while pushing back from the counter. 

She swipes to answer and puts the phone to her ear right when she makes it to the door. 

Then she turns around and subtly gives him the finger. 

Bellamy mimes reaching out and grabbing it before putting it to his heart. 

"Clarke?” 

“Hey, Madi, sorry,” she says. “I’m just going outside Bellamy’s.” 

The door chimes as it closes behind her. 

“Right, no cellphone policy. Would I able to go to a sleepover on Friday night?” 

“Where?” 

“At Jordan’s house. I’d go right after school on Friday and then come Saturday afternoon. So, what do you say?” 

"Sure, kid. If it’s okay with Monty and Harper,” Clarke says. 

“It is!” 

Madi’s never gone to a sleepover before and they’ve never spent a night apart before either. Clarke’s a little nervous but Madi’s so excited that she shoves that feeling down. 

"Okay, don’t waste your lunch break talking to me. I’ll see you at home tonight,” she says. 

“Bye, Clarke,” Madi says. “Love you!” 

“Love you too,” she responds and then the line goes dead. 

Clarke sighs and goes back into Bellamy’s. 

After she’s sitting on her stool again her comes up to her and pours her a new cup of coffee. 

“What’s up with you?” 

“Madi’s going to her first sleepover on Friday and it’s good, I want her to have all those experiences but Friday is our movie night. Now I'm just going to be on the couch, alone, staring at the TV and worrying about my kid.” 

Bellamy drums his fingers on the counter in front of her, a habit of his that she’s picked up on. 

“I would be a hypocrite if I told you not to worry,” he says with a placating smile. 

“Yeah, it’s stupid. It just feels like everybody I know has somebody and I was okay with not having somebody because I had Madi to care of all the time. But she’s growing up now and needing me less. I guess I’m just feeling pre-emptively lonely,” she finishes, letting out a breath. 

Bellamy nods in understanding and Clarke knows he gets what she’s talking about. 

“Hey, I have an idea. You could join me,” she says. 

“You want me to come over to your house?” 

“Unless you have some moral objection to movies.” 

“I actually have only seen a couple of movies,” Bellamy says. 

“Excuse me?” 

Clarke is shocked. Who has only seen _a couple_ of movies in their entire life? 

He just meets her shocked expression with an unimpressed stare. 

“I was basically raising my sister and working whenever I could and then I started a business. There wasn’t really time for movies, Princess.” 

“Poor baby,” she says. “So, are you going to come over or not?” 

Bellamy ducks his head and pushes back to lean against the counter behind him. 

Clarke thinks she sees him smile but she can’t be sure. 

“I’ll be there and I’ll bring the food.” 

* * *

Clarke drops Madi off on Friday night before heading back home to get ready for Bellamy. 

She knows he said he would bring food but a movie night needs snacks so she gets out a bunch of things that are so unhealthy Bellamy will rethink his decision to come over. 

The TV is ready with a bunch of movies queued up on her Netflix to-watch list and she’s even dug up some old DVDs that they could pop in. 

After setting up the coffee table just how she likes it, she checks the time on her phone. Bellamy should be here any minute. 

Then there’s a noise from outside like someone walking up the porch steps. 

But the doorbell doesn’t ring. 

So, she goes to peek out the window and Bellamy is standing in front of her door with a bag of food in one hand. 

With the other he fixes his hair, pushing the falling tendrils behind his ear before he rings the doorbell. 

Clarke can’t help her smile as she goes to let him in. 

“Welcome,” she says when she opens the door. “Get ready for a life-changing experience.” 

“Movies are life-changing?” 

He walks through the door as Clarke nods eagerly. 

“Hi, by the way,” he says. 

Clarke smiles at him and leads him through the foyer to the living room. 

“So, we’ve got dinner, we’ve got snacks, and we’ve got movies. Now, I’ve got a bunch already queued up and I obviously have opinions on which ones we should watch tonight.” 

“Of course you do,” Bellamy responds. 

She laughs and takes the food from him to set it up on the coffee table. 

“But since I’m such a gracious host, I’ll let you pick which one appeals to you the most.” 

Bellamy sits down at one end of the couch, leaving the other side for Clarke. 

“I’m so honoured. But I really don’t care what we watch.” 

“Fine, then I’ll pick. And no complaining if you don’t like my choice,” she says with her finger pointed at him. “Oh, I’ve got drinks too. Beer, wine?” 

He tells her that beer is good so she goes down the hall to the kitchen, getting one for him and one for her. 

When she’s back, she scrolls to one of the movies on her Netflix list and presses play. 

“Welcome to the club,” Clarke says. 

Bellamy turns to look at her and asks, “what club?” 

But the first scene of the movie starts and Clarke shushes him. 

* * *

They make it through a movie and half of another one before Bellamy falls asleep. 

Clarke only notices because he lets out a short snore that jolts her out of her focus on the screen. 

His head is leaning back against the couch and his arms are crossed over his chest as he breathes softly. 

She smiles at the sight of him like that. 

Clarke has seen this movie a hundred times so she doesn’t mind turning it off so that he can sleep peacefully. 

Once she’s gathered the empty food containers and leftover snacks from the table and brought them to the kitchen, she gets the blanket that’s draped over the arm chair and gently places it over Bellamy. 

She tiptoes up the stairs to her bedroom. 

He’s gone before she wakes up the next morning. 

* * *

They’re closer after that. 

So close that Clarke considers Bellamy her best friend. Though she doesn't know if he’s at the same place she is. 

If something needs fixing at the inn, she can call him and he’ll come over to help. 

He’s there to discuss whatever book Madi has been reading whenever she wants and he’s lent her a couple of his own for her to read. 

When she goes out with Raven and Miller to the secret bar, he always says yes to her invitation. 

She listens when he – on rare occasions – talks about Octavia and his childhood. 

A couple of months after their movie night and impromptu sleepover, she comes home from work in the evening to find him sitting on her porch steps with his head leaning against the railing. 

“Bellamy?” 

He’s slow to lift his head up and his eyes take a while to find her. 

“Clarke,” he says when he finally spots her. 

“What are you doing here?” 

He lets out a breath, chest heaving and rubs his hands over his eyes. 

“I just – she's so, you know?” 

“No, I really don’t know,” she says as she sits down beside him. 

It’s then that she catches the smell of alcohol. 

“Are you drunk?” 

Bellamy laughs but it feels forced. 

“I spoke with Octavia today,” he says. 

_Ah_ , Clarke thinks. _Makes sense now_. 

“She has this way of – I don’t think she understands how her words hurt me.” 

Her heart breaks as she watches tears well up in eyes. She’s never met his sister and really doesn't know much about besides the few things Bellamy has mentioned but Clarke wants to knock some sense into her. 

Bellamy is literally the best person she knows and anybody who doesn’t see that is a fool. 

“I reached out. It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have tried to – I don’t even know what I was trying to do,” he says. 

“Hey,” Clarke interjects. “It’s not your fault. She shouldn’t treat you the way she does.” 

He turns to look at her, his eyes drifting down when Clarke puts her hand over his on the porch. 

“She said that I help people even if they don’t want it, that I set people up so that they feel like shit for disappointing me when they inevitably fail. And I’m a burden to everyone around me.” 

“Bellamy,” Clarke says, squeezing his hand. “That’s not true.” 

“It’s okay, you don’t need to make me feel better. I just – I just really wanted to talk to you,” he says. 

She sits up straighter at his words. 

Then he starts to lean in and her breath catches in her chest. 

He’s so close that his nose rubs against hers. She’s half a second away from closing the distance between them when she remembers that he’s drunk. 

“Bell.” 

He freezes and casts his gaze downward. 

“Let me take you home, okay? You need to just chill for a while.” 

“Yeah, sure,” he says as he moves out of her space. “I’m pretty tired.” 

She helps him up and walks him to her car. Neither of them says a single word. 

When she driving to his place, she’s got a death grip on the steering wheel to keep herself from reaching out to him. 

* * *

Clarke hates how stilted their interactions have been in the last week. 

She doesn't even know if he remembers what happened on her porch that night, if she’s just making things awkward for no reason. 

All she can seem to think about is that moment just before she said his name, her hand on his, the look in his eyes, their lips only a hairsbreadth away. 

It has her in a haze. 

So much so that she doesn’t even realize he’s standing on her porch when she gets home from dropping Madi off at a sleepover until she’s right in front of him. 

“Clarke, hey,” he says, his hands behind his back. 

“Hey, how are you doing?” 

He ducks his head and sways a half step back from her. 

“I’m good, thanks. I was just at the bookstore and I saw this,” he says, holding up a small book in the space between them. “It made me think of Madi. She might like to read it.” 

“That’s so sweet of you,” she says and takes it from him, putting it on the porch swing. 

Bellamy shrugs. 

“It’s nothing.” 

They’re both silent for a minute and Clarke is trying to think of _anything_ to say to fill the void. 

“I also came by because I wanted to talk about last week. Did you – I thought that we maybe had a moment when we were sitting here on the porch.” 

“You remember that?” 

He tilts his head down a bit, his expression softening. 

“I remember everything about you,” he says. 

She’s speechless for a moment. This is uncharted territory for them. 

Before she can make herself actually say something, Bellamy continues. 

“Clarke,” he says desperately. “I’m so in love with you.” 

Her breath catches at his declaration. 

“Bellamy,” she says. 

But before she can finish, he’s rambling. 

“I know this is probably out of nowhere for you and I don’t need you to say anything now or ever actually. I just couldn’t hold it in anymore, you know?” 

Clarke nods and he continues. 

“We didn’t get off to the best start but we’ve come a long way since then. You’re my best friend and I don’t want that to change because if I lost you, I don’t know what I would do,” he says. 

“You’re so important to me, Bellamy,” she responds. “And I love you too. I really do.” 

He takes two steps towards her then. It puts him right in her space, close enough that she wouldn’t even have to reach out far to rest her hand on his chest or run her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. 

“What are you doing?” 

She hopes he’s doing what she’s waiting for him to do. 

Bellamy smirks at her. 

“Would you just hold still?” 

And then he lifts his hand to her face, his thumb caressing her cheek before he leans in and kisses her. 

Clarke takes in a sharp breath and then steps into Bellamy, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

He hums into her mouth and the sound goes right through her. 

She pulls reluctantly pulls away from him and she already misses his lips. 

“Do you want to come inside?” 

“Madi?” 

“She’s staying at a friend’s house,” Clarke explains breathlessly. 

Bellamy hums and kisses down her neck. 

“It’s almost like we planned this,” he whispers. 

She laughs and brings his face back to hers, leaning her forehead against his. 

“I never could’ve planned something as amazing as this.” 

“This is amazing, huh?” 

Clarke rolls her eyes at his smirk moves one of her hands to run her thumb over his bottom lip. 

“Don’t act like this isn’t a dream come true for you,” she says. 

“This is more than anything I could’ve dreamed of,” he says. “I love you.” 

“I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that.” 

“Good, I’m not planning on stopping,” Bellamy says. 

Clarke takes a half step back, running her hands down his arms to grab his hands. 

“Come on, let’s go inside.” 

“Lead the way.” 


End file.
